Sure thing. Treating a trebuchet like a voltage divider is a neat trick for a quick mental model, but the real math is a bit more brutal. The torque you get from the counterweight isn’t a constant “voltage” – it changes as the weight drops and the arm shortens, so it’s more like a variable resistor that changes while the current flows. That means the “optimal” launch angle is usually well above 45 degrees, around 65–70 degrees for a classic counterweight design, because you want a steep, high‑velocity launch. Ancient engineers didn’t think in volts and ohms, they tuned their machines by hammering out the torque curve with trial and error, but if you’re comfortable with calculus, you can still get a decent estimate by setting the derivative of the range with respect to angle to zero. Just don’t expect a clean, one‑line solution—ancient mechanics likes to keep things messy.

Good plan. Just remember the counterweight is a falling mass, not a battery, so the “voltage” will drop as it falls. If you want a precise angle, feed the spreadsheet with the weight, arm length, and release point, and let the derivative do the work. When you hit that sweet spot, call me – I’ll double‑check it against the ancient sagas.